JANET JOHN, NEÉ McCULLOUGH, Brazil, IN

Janet John, née McCullough, age 79, passed away on September 2, 2024 (Labor Day) at Hutson Wood in Brazil, Indiana.

Janet was born on April 10, 1945, in Madison, Indiana to Mary and Howard McCullough. She graduated from Brazil High School in 1963 and moved to Indianapolis, where she took evening classes at Indiana Central University while working days. Janet subsequently spent two years as a novice at Ursuline Convent in Louisville, KY. Although she ultimately realized this was not her life path, her passion for social justice and human rights was ignited during this period. After leaving the convent, she attended Indiana State University. Throughout the course of her life, she lived in California, Chicago, Mexico City and New York. Janet married Lee Shultz on the Oakland Bay Bridge in 1969, and their son Trenton was born in 1970. She marched in the student protests against the Vietnam War while attending the University of California, Berkeley, and was active in the early women’s liberation movement and the labor movement. In 1980, she married Sandor John in Martinez, California and their daughter Laura was born in 1982. Janet worked as a legal secretary at several prestigious law firms in New York City and as a journalist in Mexico City. Janet was an avid reader and lifelong learner. She also enjoyed creative writing, was an independent Tolkien scholar, and published many short stories online.

Janet was a devoted mother and grandmother, who also opened her home to many wayward children over the years. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, sisters and extended family Trenton Shultz, Maria Shultz, Yesenia Shultz, Christopher Shultz, Laura John-Mora, Alex Mora, Anne Sanders, Sharon Anderson, Suki John, and Julia Valencia-John.

Janet was preceded in death by her siblings Mary Kay Smith, Jerry McCullough, Patty Cornforth, and Tom McCullough.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Annunciation Catholic Church on Friday, September 6, 2024 at 1:00 PM. Burial will follow at Clearview Cemetery.

Visit www.frenchfuneralhome.com to light a candle in her memory.